Euronews

Every Friday journalists from euronews’ various language teams choose a selection of stories from Europe and beyond which did not reach the international headlines.

UK: More Brits apply for Irish passport amid Brexit fears

British-born people are applying for Irish passports in increasing numbers, with the UK’s days in the EU potentially numbered.

Ahead of a June in-out referendum on Britain’s continued membership of the bloc, citizens with Irish parents and grandparents are taking advantage of their ancestry by turning to the Emerald Isle.

According to figures from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, obtained by the Guardian, 507 British citizens applied for their first Irish passport in 2015, on the basis of having an Irish-born grandparent. That is up from 379 in 2014.

Applications from those with one or more Irish parent are said to have risen from 3,376 to 3,736 in the same period.

UK: Prepare to spend…Plastic money!

The next Bank of England £5, £10 and £20 banknotes will be printed on polymer.

The new fiver, featuring Sir Winston Churchill, will be issued in September 2016, with Jane Austen appearing on the polymer £10 note in 2017.

The £20 note should be in circulation by 2020.

The Bank of England says: “Polymer banknotes are cleaner, more secure, and more durable than paper banknotes. They will provide enhanced counterfeit resilience, and increase the quality of banknotes in circulation.”

Factsheet on the new Bank of England polymer notes. The new £5 will be issued in Sept'16, £10 in 2017, £20 by 2020. pic.twitter.com/cczUfJ7oET